King Fans: Don’t Panic

While I’ve been locked into the NL West race and my beloved Dodgers, I was distracted when I read that fellow King fans are complaining about not getting the big-name free agents. Go figure. I have a couple of questions for the skeptical King fan:

* Who did the Kings lose?

Philippe Boucher is a loss, but would you pay him more than Norstrom or Miller? Probably not. Cliff Ronning did nothing while in L.A. and Kelly Buchberger is a grinder who can be replaced easily.

* When was the last time the Kings had success in the free-agent market? Can you say Steve Duchesne? So if spending $45 million on a second-line center is not on Dave Taylor’s to-do list, understandable. Last time I saw, Taylor has had his success through trading players, or do the names Ziggy Palffy, Jason Allison or Adam Deadmarsh not ring a bell?

* Do you know anything about the Kings’ farm system? The Kings have two talented prospects in Alex Frolov and Jared Aulin who are ready to join the roster.

* Why inflate the salaries? With the labor contract to run out after this season and the impending salary cap and luxury taxes, teams like Detroit, Colorado and Dallas will be in a financial mess.

Be patient, this team is built for the long haul. Then again, it’s 35 years and counting.

Travis Burns

Laguna Niguel